FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 15 No. 255 | BHOPAL | FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 27, 2026 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL MONEY Sports Irfan lauds South Africa’s tactical masterclass at T20 WC P.14 INDIA, ISRAEL ELEVATE STRATEGIC TIES, FTA SOON PTI JERUSALEM fp Briefs BIJAPUR 2 Naxalites gunned down Two Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Thursday, police said. The exchange of fire broke out in a forest along the Indravati river in the morning when a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, a senior police official said. After guns fell silent, bodies of two Naxalites, clad in uniform, along with a Self-Loading Rifle, an Insas rifle and a 12-bore rifle were recovered from the spot, he said. ARARIA ‘Will drive out infiltrators’ Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday exuded confidence that the BJP will win the upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal, and drive out every single infiltrator from the state, which was among the ones worst affected by demographic change. Shah said this in Araria district of Bihar, where he launched projects worth Rs 175 crore of the Sashastra Seema Bal and dedicated to the nation a couple of border outposts. NEW DELHI CJI to order probe into SC registry CJI Surya Kant on Thursday expressed that he will order a deep-probe into the functioning of the Supreme Court registry, stating that certain officials of the registry are allegedly working as per their own whims despite fresh reforms being brought to ensure its smooth functioning. PM Narendra Modi being greeted by his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu as he concludes visit to Israel 27 outcomes unveiled India and Israel on Thursday unveiled 27 outcomes following PM Narendra Modi's two-day visit to Israel, spanning cooperation in geophysical exploration, maritime heritage, culture, digital payments, agriculture, artificial intelligence (AI), fisheries, financial regulation, labour mobility, education, arbitration, academia and cybersecurity, along with major strategic announcements. Among the agreements signed was an MoU on cooperation in geophysical exploration to boost mineral exploration using advanced geophysical and AI technologies, promote data sharing, attract investment and ensure sustainable resource development fence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of mili- tary hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies. Man sentenced to death for killing 6 including 2 minors Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The district and sessions court, Mandla has awarded capital punishment in the Maneri c ase in which six people, including two minor children, were killed over a family dispute. ADJ Pravin Sinha passed the order. The incident took place at Maneri village in Mandla district in July 2020. The accused Harish Soni, 36 and Santosh Soni, 34, were both residents of Maneri village. In a dispute over ancestral land, they first attacked their cousins Rajendra Soni and Vinod Soni’s families with swords and later attacked other relatives and villagers. The accused threw chilli powder in the eyes of the victims before attacking them with swords. Police arrested Harish Soni while Santosh Soni died in police firing. The deceased included Rajendra Soni, 47, his daughter Priyanka Soni, 25, his brother Vinod Soni, 45, Vinod Soni’s fiveyear-old son Om, his three-year-old daughter Shreyansh Soni and their relative Dinesh Soni, 49. As per district prosecution officer Ramesh Mishra, when the police team tried to arrest both Harish Soni and Santosh Soni, they attacked the cops. 4Continued on | P8 India post massive 256/4 Vs Zimbabwe CHENNAI: Defending champions India have set a daunting target of 257 runs for Zimbabwe, amassing a colossal 256 for 4 in their must-win Super Eights encounter at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Asked to bat first, India opened with Sanju Samson (24) and Abhishek Sharma (55), adding 48 in 22 balls. Ishan Kishan (38) and Abhishek added 72 for the second Hardik Pandya plays a shot during wicket. an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 match against Zimbabwe in Chennai on Thursday PTI (Detail Report on Sports Page) The US-Iran standoff and other issues in the region figured in the talks and PM Modi mentioned India's firm belief in the value of dialogue and reiterated New Delhi's readiness to offer support, if required, toward achieving a peaceful solution, according to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. In his media statement, PM Modi elaborated on the upward trajectory of India-Israel ties and said the relationship is built on a strong foundation of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human compassion. "Our relationship has stood the test of time. Today, we took the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to 'Special Strategic Partnership. This decision reflects the aspirations of the people of both countries," he said. The relationship was upgraded to a strategic partnership in 2017. "Our economic cooperation remains an engine of growth, innovation, and shared prosperity. Last year, we signed a bilateral investment agreement to promote mutual investment. PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Much ado about names P.6 India to grow between 6.8-7.2% in FY27: EY Economy Watch PARTNERSHIP UPGRADE | Modi says India’s security interests are directly linked to peace and stability in West Asia India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to fasttrack a long-awaited free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict. In his media statement after holding wide-ranging talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Modi said India's security interests are directly linked to peace and stability in the Middle East and that New Delhi has been pitching for a peaceful solution to the conflict in Gaza. Following the meeting between the two prime ministers, India and Israel inked a total of 17 agreements and documents that will provide for deeper cooperation in artificial intelligence, trade, investment, education, manufacturing, culture, maritime heritage, agriculture and a plethora of other areas. The two sides also vowed to expand their already close de- UJJAIN Cinema Making forever official P.16 Goyal: India-US will resume trade talks with more clarity on tariffs SC bans NCERT book over judicial corruption chapter PTI NEW DELHI/JAMSHEDPUR PTI NEW DELHI Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said he has held a meeting with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and discussed ways to expand trade relationship between the two countries. "Hosted US Secretary of Commerce @HowardLutnick & @USAmbIndia Sergio Gor. Engaged in very fruitful discussions to expand our trade and economic partnership," Goyal said in a social media post. The meeting holds immense importance as both countries are looking to finalise the legal text for the first phase of a bilateral trade agreement. Chief negotiators of both sides were scheduled to meet this week in Washington to finalise the legal text for the pact but it was postponed following the US Supreme Court order striking down President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs. 4Continued on | P8 The Supreme Court on Thursday imposed a "complete blanket ban" on any further publication, reprinting or digital dissemination of the NCERT's Class 8 social science book as it contains "offending" contents on corruption in the judiciary, saying a gunshot has been fired and the institution is bleeding. The government, on its part, expressed anguish over the inclusion of the controversial section in the book, with Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan promising to fix accountability and take action against those involved in drafting it. Observing that there appeared to be a "deep-rooted conspiracy" and a "calculated move" to undermine the institution and demean the dignity of judiciary, the Supreme Court directed that all copies of the book -- physical and digital -- currently in circulation be seized immediately and removed from public access without any delay. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant issued Tina Khatri Tell a classroom of children to touch their toes and most will manage. Ask them to hold a plank, and many will succeed. But ask them to keep running — and nearly two out of three will run out of steam. The latest national fitness assessment shows that only 34 per cent of children meet healthy standards for aerobic endurance. Experts say the reason is not inactivity, but fragmentation — children are active in short bursts, not sustained stretches that build cardiovascular capacity. Dr. Vijay Krishnamurthy, sports researcher, calls it a structural problem. “Activity has become fragmented,” he said. “Short PE periods, occasional sports practice, 4Continued on | P8 NCERT ascertaining process which led to error in judgement Following the ire of Supreme Court, the NCERT is ascertaining the process of making textbooks which led to the error in judgement about inclusion of a chapter on "judicial corruption", sources said. The Council is also identifying the persons responsible for inclusion of the text. "The NCERT is ascertaining the process of making textbooks which has led to this error of judgement and also identify the persons responsible for the same. This would also ensure that this kind of inappropriateness is completely avoided in future. This shall be done with utmost strictness," a source said Anandpur Trust encroached upon govt land: Revenue Min CBI files fresh case against Anil Ambani DGCA revises air ticket refund rule; allows 48-hour free cancellation Trust hogged limelight after PM’s visit PTI BHOPAL New Delhi: The CBI has registered a fresh case against industrialist Anil Ambani and Reliance Communications (RCOM) for allegedly cheating the Bank of Baroda during 201317 causing a wrongful loss of more than Rs 2,220 crore to the bank, officials said Thursday. The case stems from a complaint received from the bank on Tuesday, they said. "After registration of this case, the CBI has conducted searches at the residence of Anil Ambani and the registered offices of Reliance Communication Ltd. 4Continued on | P8 Our Staff Reporter NEW DELHI Passengers can now cancel or change air tickets without paying additional charge within 48 hours of making the bookings subject to certain conditions, with aviation watchdog DGCA revising the ticket refund norms for airlines. The option would not be available for domestic flight bookings where the departure date is less than 7 days and in the case of international bookings, the departure date should be not less than 15 days. Coming out with the amended norms that are more passenger-friendly, DGCA also said that airlines should not levy any additional charge for correction in the name of the same person when the error is pointed out by the passenger within 24 hours of making the booking, when the ticket is booked directly through the airline's website. 4Continued on | P8 Revenue Minister Karan Singh Verma, in a written reply, informed the House on Thursday that the Anandpur Trust had encroached upon the government land. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Anandpur in April last year. The trust hogged the limelight after Modi’s trip. Afterwards, there have been several disputes Trust has over 2,100 hectares in its possession in Ashoknagar about the trust. Verma said the trust had encroached upon 0.618 hectares of the revenue department in the Basakhedi area, Ashoknagar, and 3.52 hectares of the forest department in the Isagarh area. The trust has over 2,100 hectares in its possession in Ashoknagar. It also purchased land belonging to the SC/ST communities. Seeks JPC probe, stages walkout Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The Congress on Thursday created ruckus in the Assembly over the issue of Singhrauli’s Dhirauli coal block allotted to Adani Group. It demanded formation of Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe compensationrelated matters among other things. Panel probing allegations against Justice Varma reconstituted PTI NEW DELHI Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has reconstituted a threemember committee set up to probe the grounds for the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma after burnt wads of cash were recovered from his residence here in March last year. The committee has also been granted a three-month extension beginning February 26, a Lok Sabha secretariat official said on Thursday. The speaker had constituted the committee on August 12 last year after admitting a multi-party notice for the removal of the Allahabad High Court judge, setting in motion the process of his impeachment. "In partial modification of the notification... the Speaker, Lok Sabha, has reconstituted with effect from the 6th March, 2026, for the purpose of making an investigation into the grounds on which the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High 4Continued on | P8 breathless bursts of play — that is not enough to build cardiovascular capacity. Endurance requires progression and consistency. Without that, stamina declines.” A dispute over the Anandpur Trust recently cropped up in the district. According to reports, a complaint made by the trust led to the transfer of the collector of Ashoknagar, but the trust denied filing such a complaint. There are allegations of exploitation by the trust. After the government’s confirmation about encroachment upon the government land by the trust, it is clear that its activities are controversial. The trust has an empire, which is barricaded, and one can go there only with the permission of its officials. 4Continued on | P8 Cong creates ruckus over Dhirauli coal block issue Only one in 3 kids can run without panting INDORE show-cause notices to the NCERT director and the secretary of the department of school education, asking them to explain why action not be initiated against those found responsible for introducing the "offending" chapter. "As an abundant precaution, a complete blanket ban is hereby imposed on any further publication, reprinting or digital dissemination of the book titled 'Exploring Society: India and Beyond' (Vol II)," the bench, which also comprised justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, said. Pradhan underlined that the government has full respect for the judiciary and has no intent of disrespecting the institution. "I am very sad at what has happened and express regret... There was no intention to insult the judiciary. An inquiry will be conducted and accountability fixed. Action will be taken against those involved in drafting the chapter. As soon as we got to know (about it), the circulation of the textbooks was put on hold," Pradhan told reporters in Jamshedpur. Overall fitness levels suggest recovery on the surface. In 2020, 70.5 per cent of children were classified as fit. That number dropped sharply to 56.2 per cent in 2022 during prolonged pandemic disruptions. By 2025, overall fitness rose to 84.8 per cent, exceeding pre-pandemic levels. But endurance has not recovered at the same pace. Aerobic fitness stood at 27.5 per cent in 2023, improved to 32.8 per cent in 2024 and reached 34.4 per cent in 2025 — a gradual rise, but still leaving two-thirds of children below healthy benchmarks. “Aerobic endurance is closely linked to long-term heart health and metabolic stability,” sports physiotherapist Dr Ankush Agrawal said. 4Continued on | P8 When the government didn’t accept the JPC demand, it staged a walkout. Earlier, the Speaker had adjourned the house twice due to pandemonium. Leader of Opposition, Umang Singhar, raised the issue during Question Hour. He said a paltry compensation has been given to tribals despite government claiming that they (the tribals) would Rs 50 lakh. 4Continued on | P8 SC notice to Centre, EC on plea to cap party expenditure on polls PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Thursday sought responses from the Centre and the Election Commission on a plea seeking directions to impose ceiling on the expenditure by political parties for election purposes. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi issued notice to the Centre and the poll authority seeking their responses on the petition. "Issue notice, returnable on April 27," the bench said. Advocate Prashant Bhushan appeared for the petitioner NGOs Common Cause and Centre For Public Interest Litigation. The plea said the absence of any expenditure limit on political parties, despite strict limits on individual candidates under section Plea said absence of any expenditure limit on political parties creates an "unlevel playing field" in electoral contests 77(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, creates an "unlevel playing field" in electoral contests, violating the right to equality under Article 14 of the Constitution. "Explanation 1(a) to Section 77(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 creates a legal fiction by excluding from account the massive expenditure incurred by political parties in connection with the election of a candidate, even when the expenses serve the same electoral purpose," it said. 4Continued on | P8